Handguns June/July 2019

How Will EVO Fare? My first reaction upon seeing the new Kimber EVO SP in the April/May issue was “Kimber has cloned the Ruger LC9s!” I say that as a compliment, as I’m the happy owner of an LC9s, but I can’t help but wonder if Kimber is answering a question nobody asked. James Tarr correctly compares the Kimber with the SIG P365, and I wonder if yet another entry into the single-stack mouse-gun arena will even fly since the SIG has managed to stuff 10+1 capacity into the same form factor as the LC9s, Glock G43, Mossberg MC1sc and others. ZORBA MERRITT ISLAND, FL Beefy Carry Seems that every article on concealed carry that carries with it a picture is always of someone who is—how shall I say it?—stick…

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APRIL 29th 2019 <<< G&A TV spends some quality time with suppressors this episode and examine how heat effects them and how they increase long-range shooting performance. If you’re a Marvel fan – stay tuned – we handle the firearms of the blockbuster hit Black Panther. MAY 6th 2019 <<< A former Special Forces sniper gives G&A TV the rundown on futuristic ballistic solvers he was issued, that are now available to you. .40 S&W is a snappy cartridge and we prove it in Camera’s Don’t Lie. 1.4 mile target, no problem for the .300 PRC. MAY 13th 2019 <<< We take aim with new iron sights from Tru-Glo, and during Camera’s Don’t Lie we discover that while miniature red dot sights on pistols are all the rage, iron sights…

FOR NEARLY 20 YEARS I WAS A SERIOUS smallbore rifle shooter and competed at a ton of high-level matches. I don’t say this to brag but to make a point: Despite my competition experience, for years I was too chicken to shoot a local action-pistol match. The discipline that intrigued me most was the one run by the U.S. Practical Shooting Association. It’s a blend of speed, accuracy and athleticism, but it was my friend Jim Tarr who unwittingly discouraged me. “It’s problem-solving with a gun!” he would say. Well, I didn’t want to solve problems with a gun. I love shooting handguns, but frankly, I’m a duffer. The only things I wanted to be able to “solve” were how to shoot accurately with speed and get better at reloading.…

If running and gunning and “problem solving with a gun” don’t appeal to you and you simply want to shoot, check out Steel Challenge—which is under the USPSA umbrella. There are no complicated stages to puzzle over, no speed reloads, no running from place to place. You simply draw and shoot at an array of steel targets. And if you shoot a sanctioned competition, the stages are uniform from match to match. While it’s a combination of speed and accuracy like USPSA, with Steel Challenge a hit is a hit—no complicated scoring. Also like USPSA, if you have a repeating handgun in good working order, including .22s, you can find a division to shoot in. Holster, belt, magazine/speedloader and mag/speedloader pouch requirements are similar as well, although in rimfire you…

THIS DRILL WILL HELP YOU IMPROVE your draw speed and target transitions—along with recoil mitigation, and sight picture and trigger control. This is a great one to force you to use sights, learn to understand how your gun performs at speed and find your limitations between speed and accuracy. It’s a great drill for competitive shooters, but because of the basics it addresses it’s good for defensive handgunners as well. GEAR Spare magazine, mag pouch, shot timer DRILL Three IPSC-style targets. Targets 1 and 2 are at five yards. Target 2 should be centered on the start position (a USPSA-type box if you’re competition training) while Target 1 should be one yard left of center. Target 3 should be 20 yards downrange and one yard right of center. Fire two…